TCU HEAD COACH Trent JohnsonOpening statement:“In terms of league play, I thought we were as efficient offensively as we have been all year. Sixteen assists to 10 turnovers … we won the re-bound battle. I think the big key was they made plays when they needed to make them, whether it was defensively or offensively. (Myck) Kabonga makes a big difference. He puts a lot of pressure on you. Obviously, we’ve known all year that our margin of error is extremely slim. We have to play close to perfect. It’s really hard right now.”

On what lies ahead for his team:“We’ll be off tomorrow. We need to get Jarvis (Ray) to work out. If he can go through two days of practices and hard individual workouts, we might look at him when we go to Lawrence.”

TCU SOPHOMORE FORWARD Devonta AbronOn being in the game with five minutes to play after TCU’s previous two tough matchups:“It feels good to be in a game like this. We made stops and did everything we had to do. They made big shots, and we just need to stick together at the end.”

On what makes Texas’ post players successful:“They’re physical, and they make sure they go after the ball. Our post guys needed to match their intensity level.”

TEXAS HEAD COACH RICK BARNESOn his team’s performance:“Tonight, the first half is the best we’ve looked. We flowed on offense and we moved. A lot of good things happened. It’s just execution.”

On seeing what Myck Kabongo could be in the limited amount of time left in the season:“Think about it. He’s played three games and he has done pretty well. The best thing I can tell you about Myck sums him up. We were at Kansas getting killed, and I asked him if he wanted to stay in and play. He said, ‘Coach, I want to play.’ Every single timeout he came and looked at the guys and said we are not quitting. He was as involved in the game when we were down 30 as he was in the beginning of the game. That speaks volumes about him. There is a difference with Myck out there, and we all see it. He is going to get better and better, too, as he continues to play”

On the improvement of his freshmen:“If you asked them what happened, (Ioannis Papapetrou) said it. He finally figured it out. He said, ‘I’m going to quit trying to prove to coach what he told me I shouldn’t be doing. I wanted to prove to him I could listen to what he told me to do.’ Conner would tell you the same thing.”

On Connor Lammert’s jumper:“Honestly, Connor has great hands. If you get it close, he’s going to catch it. He bailed Myck (Kabongo) out on that. It wasn’t a particularly great pass, but he was able to secure it and score. He made a couple of plays inside where we’ve told him he needs to go in there, because he needs to have a presence in there.”

TEXAS FRESHMAN FORWARD CONNOR LAMMERT On how much time in practice he spends on his outside shot:“Surprisingly, zero. Maybe like one minute every time, but I just threw it up there to be honest. I was super surprised it went in. I think the whole rest of the stadium was, too, but it was a good feed by Myck. It was just an interesting play.”

On if he feels his team gained momentum off of that play:“I think so, but I think the play that was a really clutch play was Demarcus (Holland’s) 3 towards the end of the shot clock. I think that put us up seven, and I think from there we just tried to close it out.”

TEXAS FRESHMAN IONNIS PAPAPETROUOn how much easier it is to play with Myck Kabongo:“It’s a lot easier. He brings a lot to the team; it’s not just the points. You might look at the stats, but it’s more than the stats. He really pushes the ball and gives good advice at the game. He never lets guys down. He always keeps the confidence level up. He’s been a leader out there and we needed that.”

On if he is more comfortable shooting with a guy in his face:“No, definitely not. Every time I shoot the ball, it’s going to be a good shot. It’s probably going to come from a pass from my teammates and me open. Every time you shoot it, you have to think it’s going to go in. That’s what I did.”